Mother of Many Children
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Canada, 1977 (documentary, 58 minutes, colour, English)
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Also known as
"Mère de tant d'enfants"
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Film Description:
"This film is an album of Native womanhood, portraying a proud matriarchal
society that for centuries has been pressured to adopt different standards
and customs. All of the women featured share a belief in the importance of
tradition as a source of strength in the face of change."
-- National Film Board of Canada
(source)
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| Film Credits (partial): |
| Written by: |
Alanis Obomsawin |
| Produced by: |
Alanis Obomsawin, Don Hopkins, Douglas MacDonald |
| Narrator: |
Alanis Obomsawin |
| Cinematography: |
Don Virgo, Bob Ridgell, Laval Fortier |
| Film Editing: |
John Laing |
| Production Company: |
National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada |
(sources)
Notes about Mother of Many Children
- Shown at the Festival of Festivals (Toronto) in 1977.
(sources)
Quotes about Mother of Many Children
"Mother of Many Children is a subtle document of female empowerment. It begins with an epigraph claiming that there is no he or she in Native languages, gently establishing a feminist theme that is inherent rather than overt."
-- Randolph Lewis
(source)
"This film [Mother of Many Children] is important for the youth of today and for people outside of Indigenous communities, because it offers the opportunity to examine the effects of colonization and maps the progress, and in some cases deterioration, of Indigenous communities. It also offers introduction to people in remote communities who we normally would never hear from. When we see history, it's deeper than just hearing about it; it gives us a visual into our parents' and grandparents' lives."
-- Doreen Manuel
(source)
"While documenting how First Nations women experience life from birth
to old age, the film [Mother of Many Children] situates the multiple ways in which First Nations women's identities and experiences have been historically shaped and articulated."
-- Zuzana Pick
(source)
Bibliography for Mother of Many Children
Book Chapters
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Manuel, Doreen. "Mother of Many Children."
In Alanis Obomsawin: Lifework, edited by Richard William Hill and Hila Peleg, 28-47. Munich: Prestel, 2022. 'This book accompanies the exhibition The Children Have to Hear Another Story—Alanis Obomsawin: Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, January 23-April 18, 2022; Vancouver Art Gallery, Spring 2023; Art Museum at the University of Toronto, Summer 2023'.
[exhibition catalogue]
Brief Sections of Books
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Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006.
(pp. 40-45)
Web Sites about Mother of Many Children
